Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Santa Maria Maggiore
(Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore;
%
06-483195;
€
4;
7am-7pm, museum 9am-6:30pm)
is one of Rome's five patriarchal basilicas. Lately
it has also been the site of protests because American Cardinal Bernard Law was
assigned to this church after retiring from the Boston Diocese after the 2005
pedophile scandals. This church has
the best collection of mosaics in the
city. Start with the 5th-century mosaic
depictions of the Old Testament above
the columns in the nave, and work
your way through the centuries along
the length of the church. Thirteenth-
century mosaics of Mary being
crowned queen of heaven by Christ line the apse. Rome's baroque master Gian
Lorenzo Bernini is buried here, marked by a plaque on the right side of the altar.
On August 5, a celebration marking the miracle of a summer snowfall, which led
to the building of this church, is celebrated with the release of thousands of flower
petals from the church ceiling.
Santa Maria della Vittoria
(Via XX Settembre, 17;
%
06-42740571; daily
8:30am-noon and 3:30-6pm; Sun afternoons only)
is home to one of Bernini's
most famous and sensual sculptures, the
Ecstasy of St. Teresa,
inspired by a passage
she wrote, “So intense was the pain I uttered several moans; so great was the
sweetness caused by the pain that I never wanted to lose it.” The statue of the
angel and Teresa sits in the Cornaro chapel, which is decorated with frescoes of
clouds from the heavens and hidden windows that light up the room differently
throughout the day.
St. Clemente
(Via San Giovanni in Laterano;
%
06-7740021;
€
3;
9am-12:30pm and 3-6pm, Sun opens 1 hr. later)
offers one of the best examples
of Rome's multilayered past. The main church, which is a relatively new 12th-
century construction, is often covered with scaffolding, so skim this section and
head straight to the first subterranean level for the 4th-century ruins of the orig-
inal church and the chipped and faded frescoes of the life of St. Clemente, who
was the fourth pope after St. Peter. Climb down another flight of dark steps to
reach the pagan temple of the Persian god Mithras. Here, statues of testosterone-
driven bullfighters, some actually holding testicles, indicate the types of meetings
held here.
“
Rome was a poem pressed into
—Anatole Broyard
service as a city.
THE OTHER ROME
How about the life of the city that only the residents know? Try the working-class
neighborhood of Testaccio, just across the Tiber River from Trastevere's Porta
Portese. This is the neighborhood where many Romans come for dinner in the
small
trattorie
and clamoring pizza joints. But it's great any time of day. It is one
of the least pretentious spots in the city, and you never question the authenticity
of what you see.
Early in the morning the locals crowd the market in the central square and
haggle with vendors for their fresh produce. The fishmongers know well who
caught the fish, and the vegetable sellers harvested most of the vegetables—just
look at their hands. One stand is dedicated entirely to the many varieties of toma-
toes in season, and the man who runs it will let you taste the difference. He's one
